Who to Follow on Twitter for Crisis News, Part 1: Ukraine

With political strife dominating so much of our news cycle these past months, and events from Ukraine to Venezuela rapidly unfolding, Twitter is one of the best ways to stay informed in real time. But when social media turns everyone into an information source, it can be a challenge to sort the signal from the noise and figure out who to trust.

To help you find reliable sources for some of the most timely geopolitical news stories, we’ve created a series of Twitter lists compiling trusted journalists, activists and citizens on the ground in the conflict regions. These are the people sharing the most up-to-date information, often from their own first hand experiences.

Events in Ukraine have drastically escalated in the past few weeks and not surprisingly, Twitter and other social media channels have often been the most up-to-date sources of information on the unfolding conflict. Now, let’s get you caught up: The country is torn apart. Some people are looking for closer ties to the West while the rest push for close ties with Russia. After overthrowing the government, Crimea (made up of mostly Russian speaking citizens) started protesting, using the justification that the new Ukrainian government would suppress the rights of their people.

Russia claims they have the right to send troops to Crimea to defend the ethnically Russian population and the strategically critical home port of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet. However, a 1994 treaty agreement, to which both Russia and the United States are signatories, guarantees Ukrainian sovereignty over territory that includes Crimea. For updates, here are some sources we have been following: